


Broken Computers Save Lives

by MusicalShippingHell



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: 10 years in the future, Cheating, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gay, M/M, computer geek Michael, in which the squip never left, millionaire jeremy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 03:03:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11454639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicalShippingHell/pseuds/MusicalShippingHell
Summary: It's been 10 years since Michael has talked to Jeremy. 10 years since the Halloween party where Michaels best friend decided it was best to leave him alone. Now, Michael is working as a computer technician for a global company. He's unhappy with his life and thinks about offing himself all the time. But he doesn't. He holds onto the hope that one day he'll see Jeremy again, to at least say something to him. So he holds on.On the other hand, Jeremy had become a millionaire. The squip helped him get there, and now it was gone. It left him a few months ago because it finally decided he could figure life out on his own. But it was wrong. Jeremy was unhappily married to Christine who helps him run his company. He wants to leave her, but he can't. Not with his company on the line, and not when he would break her heart doing it. He regrets everything he did to Michael and wants to see him again... but would Michael ever want to see him?





	1. Ten Years Later...

Michael Mell sat behind the counter of the large computer shop, his eyes scanning the customers. They were all just milling around, searching through the aisles and shelves to find whatever they were looking for. Occasionally people actually bought something, but most of the companies profit came from repairing computers, TV's, laptops, you name it. It didn't matter what it was, as long as it was made of wires and had a screen, they could fix it, and Michael was their best technician. So when the phone rang, jolting Michael out of his trance, and asking for their best technician to come and fix a computer for some millionaire, he's ushered out of the store and sent on his way. 

He made his way over to his company car, adjusting his glasses and pulling off his red sweatshirt to reveal the mandatory white company shirt. After plugging in the address of the building into his GPS, Michael took off from the parking lot and started the twenty-minute drive. Why couldn't the just get the IT department to fix the damn computer? 

_Why couldn't the just get the IT department to fix the damn computer?_ Michael thought as he finally pulled into the parking lot. _Really, it's exhausting._  He exited his car and spared one glance up at the office building towering over him before heading inside. The brunette told the receptionist why he was there and she handed him a guest pass, expecting his arrival. She gave him directions to the office that was being fixed. Apparently, it was the CEO's office. He nodded sluggishly at the woman and headed to the elevator, pressing the buttons. Floor 7, room 716. He tapped his foot impatiently to the boring elevator music, and let out a sigh of relief when the elevator finally dinged, letting him know he arrived on the 7th floor. As he made his way down the hallway, he scanned the number on the doors, looking for the right room. 

_713... 714... 715..._ 716\. Michael stopped at the room and used the keycard to unlock the door. When Michael turned on the lights, he could see that there was no one else inside. He spotted the computer sitting on the desk in the middle of the room, so he made his way over and examined it.  

It only took him twenty minutes to discover the problem and fix it.  Now normally Michael wasn't one to snoop around on people computers, but today was different. He wanted to find out who the computer belonged to. The only reason he was curious was because of a small sticky note stuck to the monitor of the computer. It read:  _Make sure to buy a gift for Chris. Anniversary Friday._ Something about the handwriting was familiar. The way the Y's were curved a little bit at the end struck Michael with nostalgia, but he couldn't quite place it. He told himself that all he was going to do was look at the name on the login screen. After that he would shut the computer off again and leave; after all his job was done anyways. The computer probably had a password anyways. Michael pressed the power button and waited impatiently, tapping his fingers in a rhythm on the wooden desk, yawning occasionally. Once the computer was loaded, he pressed the space bar, pulling up the login screen.

Michael froze at the name on the screen. 

_Jeremiah Heere._

All of a sudden he was thrown back to ten years ago, the Halloween party, Jeremy calling him a loser, the house burning down. Jeremy and him hadn't talked since then, not a single word. But of course Michael never forgot about him; he thought about him at least once every day. He had forgiven him too, after all, it wasn't good to hold grudges for that long. Michael really wanted to see Jeremy again, tell him he forgave him--but that wasn't possible. Jeremy wouldn't ever want to see him again. Not if he still had that hell-sent squip in his brain. However, whatever the circumstance Michael  _really_ needed to get out of his office before Jeremy came back. So as quick as he could, he shut off the computer, scribbled that it was fixed on a sticky note and grabbed his bag, heading for the door. As he was about to turn the doorknob, it turned on its own. At first, Michael panicked, wondering how the doorknob could have turned on its own. But then realization hit him and he realized that someone was probably opening the door. He let out a sigh of relief, and then panic hit him again;  _someone was opening the door. Someone was opening the door!_ Michael panicked, darting behind the nearest potted plant to hide. 

The door opened a few seconds later, and in walked Jeremiah Heere. Michael froze. He didn't look all too different. Sure, his hair was a little longer, and he wore a suit; but other than that, he didn't really look different. Michael would have recognized him anywhere. There were bags under his eyes too, and you could tell at just a glance that he was exhausted. Even his voice sounded tired. But that didn't stop Michael from still finding him attractive. Somewhere in the back of his mind the tiny crush he still had on Jeremy grew again, taking over his attention. His heart was pounding, but he didn't know if it was from the adrenaline or from Jeremy. To try and distract himself, Michael tuned in on the conversation Jeremy was having, only being able to make out one side of the conversation. 

"Yeah, Chris I'll be home around eight. Sorry, I'm missing dinner again but it's a late night at the office, I've got some paperwork to fill out. Christine! I swear I'm not cheating on you. I wouldn't do that. Don't jump to conclusions." 

_So that's who he's with nowadays: Christine._ Michael sighed inwardly, of course, Jeremy had to be in a relationship of some sort. Now he would never have a chance with him again. But why would the universe even let him have another chance to get the love of his life to love him back? The universe wasn't  _that_ nice. 

Michael tuned back in on Jeremy's conversation. "Sorry, hon. Okay... see you later..." The was a pause and Jeremy's face twisted into an emotion Michael couldn't place. "...love you too." Jeremy hung up his phone and sighed rather loudly. Mumbling a few things under his breath, Jeremy placed--or rather slammed--his phone down on his desk. Jeremy turned his attention to his computer, noticing the note. His eyes scanned it and he let out a sigh of relief, grateful that they had got someone to fix his computer. With the computer fixed, he turned all of his attention to turning back on his computer and focusing on his work.

Michael took this as his chance to escape. He dropped to the floor on all fours and started crawling over to the door. He had just about reached the door when he heard Jeremy speak. "M-Michael?" Michael didn't turn around. He stayed still, hoping that if he didn't move then Jeremy wouldn't notice him. That hope was short lived. Jeremy repeated his statement--or question--from earlier. "Michael?" 

Michael turned around slowly, an uncertain smile gracing his lips. "Hey... Jeremy." 

Jeremy's faced contorted into confusion, and he started at Michael, unsure about what to do. It had been ten years, and now the person he had wronged was right in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

"U-um.. fixing your computer? I'm the tech guy. Which I really don't get... this is a multi-million dollar company, why don't you have a Tech Department? It's kinda funny that you don't, really. You should probably make one of those, it'll probably come in handy so you don't have to hire people like me all the time it's kind of inconvenient if you think about it and..." Michael trailed off, realizing that he was rambling on about a stupid topic.

"Oh... Thanks, I guess. For fixing my computer and all," Jeremy said. He scratched his arm uncomfortable before extending his hand out to help Michael up. Michael took his hand with uncertainty, not sure what Jeremy was playing at. The two sat in very uncomfortable silence for a few seconds; the tension was cuttable by a knife. Finally, Jeremy spoke, breaking the silence. "Look, Michael, I'm really, really sorry about Halloween... I didn't mean any of that, you're not a loser. Not at all. It was the squip. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you still hated me."

Michael shook his head, a genuine smile playing on his lips. "I'm not mad at you; I forgave you a long time ago. I know it was the squip, not you. Is that thing gone now?"

He nodded, "Yeah. He left a few months ago. He's the reason I have all of--" Jeremy waved his hand around, "--this."

"Oh."

"Yeah..." Jeremy shuffled uncomfortable, trying to break the awkwardness between then two. "Hey, do you want to get coffee sometime? I want to catch up with you. I really miss having you as a friend." 

Michael shrugged, "I don't really know if you want to hang out with someone like me really. You're married anyways. You don't need me; you have Christine."  

"I really do want to hang out with you again. Seriously... and that marriage... I don't like it. It's become unbearable since the squip disappeared. I just don't like Christine like that anymore," Jeremy explained, looking up to Michael will pleading eyes. "Please?" 

Michaels' heart skipped a beat at Jeremy expression, and he gave in. "Fine. We'll have coffee." Jeremy's face lit up, and a smile split across his face. "I'll give you my number." He nodded, handing Michael a sticky note. Michael scribbled down his number quickly and handed it to Jeremy. "Look, I gotta go, Jeremy. Sorry, I've got work to do. We can catch up whenever we have coffee."

"Yeah," Jeremy sighed, making his way over to Michaels side and walking a few feet with him to the door. "See you soon, hopefully."

Michael smiled. "Yeah, see you soon." He waved at Jeremy one more time before he opened the door and stepped out of the office. He breathed in deeply and exhaled. Jeremy closed the door behind him, and Michael listened as he heard the footsteps get further from the door. He stood there for a few seconds his brain processing what just happened before he headed down the hallway to the elevator. 

As he made his way out of the building, he nearly screamed. His ex-best friend, and ex--well not so ex--crush, had just been shoved back in his life again. After ten years. He groaned, realizing his life was going to get a  _whole_ lot more interesting again. Jeremiah Heere was going to change his life once again, and he didn't really know how he felt about that.

 

 


	2. Cold Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! It took me a few days to write this. Hope you enjoy!

That Saturday Michael stood outside of one of the cities many coffee shops, pacing around in front of it nervously. Jeremy and him had planned to meet up there after a few days of texting back and forth non-stop. They had re-connected a lot over text but hadn't really had the personal connection they both really wanted to have. Not to say you couldn't be connected to someone just over text; they just both really wanted a deeper connection. So, Jeremy offered that they meet up at the coffee shop that was convenient for both of them. 

They picked a spot, and now here they are. Or at least one of them. Michael was an hour early. He didn't want to risk making Jeremy wait for him, so he woke up extra early and arrived extra early. Right now he was rethinking his whole decision because now he had to wait an hour. So, to waste his time, he ordered a muffin and sat down at a cozy table near the back of the shop. He  ate his muffin slowly, hoping to stretch it out for the entire hour. But that didn't work, so after he was done eating, he turned on his phone and searched through the news app to see what was happening.

After ten more minutes of aimlessly scrolling through his phone, he gave up and pocketed it. There wasn't really anything interesting going on.  Michael tapped impatiently on the table. He really shouldn't have gotten there and hour early.

When the bell over the door rung ten minutes later, Michael turned his attention to it, just hoping to have a change in scenery. Standing in front of the door was Jeremy. He was all bundled up in a grey park, his arms wrapped tightly around himself and a blue scarf wrapped around his neck. A smile spread across Michaels face and he raised a hand, waving Jeremy over to him. Jeremy nodded and held up a finger for him to wait. He headed over to the counter and ordered two cups of coffee before heading over to the table and sitting down. He placed the cups down before greeting him. 

"Hey Michael," Jeremy greeted, unwinding his scarf from his neck, and shrugging his coat off. He placed them on the back of his chair and then turned back to Michael. 

"Hey. You're early," Michael pointed out, ignoring the fact that he had been even earlier. 

Jeremy laughed and it sent Michaels heart racing, pounding against his chest in a fast-paced steady rhythm. He hasn't heard Jeremy's laugh in years; but now here it was, still as sweet as it used to be.

Jeremy spoke and it snapped Michael out of his laugh-induced trance. "And you're not? How long have you been sitting here?" 

Michael shrugged, looked down at his watch and then replied, "Thirty minutes. I left kinda early because I didn't want to be late..."

"Oh. I'm sorry I made you wait."

Michael shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault I arrived a little too early." 

Jeremy snorted, "Yeah, a little."

The other boys face tinted red at that and he said, "Shut up." Only causing Jeremy to laugh again. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Michael cleared his throat, his tone suddenly serious. "So... other than owning a million-dollar company, what else have you been doing?"

"That it really. I haven't had any time for anything else," Jeremy stopped for a few seconds and hesitated to continue. "Christine and I go on dates occasionally. Or we used to, before the squip left. We haven't gone on one since."

"Oh." Michale hesitated to ask the next question, but eventually gave into his curiosity and asked. "Do you... do you love Christine?" 

Jeremy shook his head, catching Michael by surprise. "No... I love her, but I'm not in love with her. I care about her a lot and would hate to see her hurt, but I don't love her like that anymore. There's something-someone else." 

Michaels face fell a little. There was someone else. Not Christine, but someone else. 

"Why don't you divorce her if you don't love her?" Michael asked, pressing further.

"I can't hurt her... like I said I care about her, and this-this would hurt her a lot. She helps me run the company too, I don't know what I would do without her help." 

Michael frowned, "I just don't think it's fair for her to be in a relationship with someone who doesn't love her. You can always hire someone else if it's that bad after you break it off. You don't have to fire her if you break it off."

"I know. I know. I just don't wanna hurt her."

"I know you don't, but you need to consider how she's gonna feel in a relationship with someone who doesn't love her. Just, think about it." 

Jeremy sighed and took a sip of his coffee. "I'll--I'll think about it."

The smile returned to Michaels face. "Good." 

The silence between them returned and it was even more awkward than before. It was only broken when Jeremy cleared his throat and asked Michael what he had been doing ever since High School. 

"Well obviously you know I've been working as a technician," Michael began, "I've had a few boyfriends but none of the relationships have ever really worked. I live in an apartment on 6th street... alone. That's really it. My life isn't that exciting to be honest."

Jeremy nodded along as Michael explained what he had been doing. When Michael was done, he hesitated for a second and then asked, "So, you're not dating anyone?" 

Michael shook his head. "No. I haven't been for 6 months. The last guy I was with was nice but I didn't work out. He had some things going on in his life and decided it was better if he wasn't in a relationship."

"I see. How are your parents?"

"Good," Michael said, his smile returning. This was a topic he was happy to talk about. "They renewed their vows two years ago and the ceremony was really nice. They had it on a beach and paid for fireworks. I really liked it. How's your mom and dad?"

"My moms good and my dads doing better than the last time you saw him," Jeremy explained. "My dad started dating this girl--Amèlia--she's really nice. I think my dads gonna propose to her soon. My mom remarried three years ago so I have two step siblings. A girl that's 16--Alex--and another sibling--Ash--that's 26. Alex is really nice and Ash is okay. They can be a pain in the ass sometimes."

Michael laughed, and Jeremy smiled. "Sounds like you've had an interesting ten years." 

"Yeah. I have." Jeremy paused. "Look, um Ash has this art gallery thing and they really want me to go, but Christine can't make it... so I was wondering if you'd like to join me? It's next Sunday."

Jeremy looked hopeful, and Michael didn't want to see his expression if he turned him down, so he just sucked it up, smiled and said: "Yeah! I don't see an issue with it. What kind of art do they do?"

"They do photography in school and their teacher chose them for the gallery. They're really excited about it. It's one of the times they actually want me to be there." 

Michael couldn't help but smile at Jeremy's expression. He looked so happy talking about his family and it was such a drastic change from before.

"That's good. I'll be sure to be there then. Text me when you have more details?" 

"Of course."

The pair talked for a few more hours, completely ignoring the coffee that sat in front of them, letting it turn cold. This time there were no awkward silences I between them. 

~

When Jeremy got home, Christine was cooking dinner. She smiled at him and then returned to cooking.

"How was coffee with your friend?" She asked after a while. 

"Really good. We caught up and I asked if he wanted to go to the gallery next Sunday. So I'm not going alone and don't have to suffer with my relatives."

Christine laughed and then turned back to the food, making sure it didn't burn. Their conversation turned to silence after that, the normal silence they usually had.


	3. On Their Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy and Michael make their way to the art gallery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm really sorry for not posting in over a month. I've been busy with marching band and school just started the other day. Here's the new chapter, hope you enjoy.

Sunday morning Michael rushed around his apartment fifteen minutes before Jeremy was supposed to be there. He had only woken up twenty-five minutes ago and spent ten of it in the shower. He dug his only suit out of the closet. The last time he used it was two years ago at his parent's wedding. Luckily, it was in pretty decent condition.

It took him a solid five minutes to get the suit on, and another three trying to tie the tie. Once that was finally done he hurried to the bathroom mirror, trying his best to style his hair the way he wanted it too. He slipped on his glasses quickly, pocketed his wallet and headed over to the door to wait for Jeremy. Five minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

Michael swung open the door; he was actually excited about going to the gallery. Spending time with her Jeremy the other day at the coffee shop was fun. He wanted to do it again.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw Jeremy. The suit he was wearing was simple, a navy blue, adorned with a white tie. That was it, but to Michael, he looked stunning.

"Uh, hey," Jeremy greeted, flashing him a smile. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Michael grabbed his keys from the table in front of the door and joined Jeremy in front of his apartment. He locked the door and Jeremy and him were on their way. "So where exactly is this gallery?"

"It's not very far, down the street actually. We're gonna walk if that's okay. I forget the name of the building it's in though." Jeremy explained the gallery more as they walked down the street a few blocks. "I'm sure Ash will really like you. They're really into video games."

Michaels' eyes lit up, this was a topic he could really get into. "Really? Do you know their favorite game?"

"I do, and it's kind of ironic really. It's Apocalypse of The Damned, v.4. I play it with them when I'm over at my mom's."

"That's awesome!" Michael cheered. "I haven't gotten a chance to play it yet, but it looks fun."

"It is."

The two walked for a few more minutes before stopping in front of a large building. Michael recognized the building as one of the town's colleges. Jeremy held open one of the doors for Michael as he walked in. Even though it was a small gesture, it still made Michael blush.

Michael thanked him as he walked in, smiling and looking around in amazement. There were so many people waiting to get in. The taller of the two turned around the look at everyone, before finally landing back on the other man.

"Holy shit. Are they really this famous?" Michael gaped at Jeremy, unable to contain his excitement.

Jeremy smiled, seemingly in pride, before answering him. "Uh, yeah. Some of these people I invited from work, but most of them are here strictly for them. It's honestly amazing."

Michael nodded. "It's amazing how I haven't heard of them until now."

Jeremy nodded again and then smiled broadly. "Come on, we'll go in."

"But there's a li-" Jeremy cut Michael off, grabbing his hand and pushing himself to the front of the line. Michaels face flushed red at the sudden contact, and I suddenly became hard to distinguish his red suit from his face.

Jeremy ignored the angry shouts from everyone else in line and approached the security guard. He held out some sort of lanyard to her and then she nodded, opening the door to let them in. The people in line all let out a frustrated groan, upset.

Once they were inside the main gallery, Michael tugged on Jeremy's hand, and they both stopped.

"Why we cut the line?"

"Ash wanted me here a bit early. Guess I didn't execute it the best way." Jeremey laughed breathily, and Michael felt his heartbeat quicken, and his mind raced, unable to keep one train of thought.

When Michael nodded, Jeremy smiled and then looked down at their intertwined hands and jerked his hand away.

"Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. Force of habit, ya know." Jeremy felt his own face heat up, and he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

Michael, despite his obvious nervousness, smiled and waved him on. "It's fine. I get it. Wanna introduce me to Ash?"

Suddenly Jeremy's face lit up even more as if a light was turned on, and he nodded. "Come on, this way."

\-----

When Michael first heard of Ash, he didn't really expect them to look like what they did. Maybe it was the name, or maybe it was the description that Jeremy gave him, but he just wasn't expecting the Ash he saw. It really caught him off guard.

They were tall, really tall. Taller than Michael, tall. They were black too, but Michael already knew that. Their hair was a dark brown, and very curly, framing their face with rings of curls. They were smiling, actually smiling. Not one of those smiles you smile just because you have to, but one of those smiles that go from ear to ear. They just gave that off a happy aura in general. God, even just their presence made Michael smile.

Jeremy was standing next to him when they approached Ash, and even he could see Michaels obvious surprise.

He cleared his throat and motioned to Ash. "Ash, this is Michael Mell. I'm sure you remember me talking about him." Michaels' heart skipped a noticeable beat. "Michael, this is Ash. The best artist I know."

Ash smiled and held out their hand. Michael took it and shook their hand. "Nice to meet you, Michael, I'm Ashley, but everyone just calls me Ash. I'm Non-Binary if Jeremy hasn't told you, so there's that. I absolutely adore video games and art, and I'm twenty-six."

Michael smiled. "Nice to meet you, Ash."


End file.
